Human rights can be a "compass" to guide research and policy
development for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies,
according to a report.

The International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) says
climate change will threaten — directly or indirectly — almost all
human rights, including the right to food, health and a livelihood. But
they have received little attention on the policy stage so far.

ADVERTISEMENT

Human rights can be used as thresholds or minimum standards that
climate change, or policies to deal with it, must not breach, says
their report, released last month (24 June).

"Human rights are a helpful tool for asking who'll be affected by
climate change or climate change policies in a particular way, based on
a set of well-defined, internationally recognised criteria," says
Robert Archer, executive director of ICHRP.

Local level data about the human costs of climate change are lacking
in many countries, particularly those where the effects will be
greatest, he says.

"On the science side we have a baseline level of data even in poor countries, but on the social side we're starting from zero."

Archer told SciDev.Net that identifying potential human rights
impacts will give communities a better chance of gaining funding for
adaptation projects. But a great deal of work needs to be done to
develop the simple tools required to collect social data and work
successfully at a community level, he warns.

Adaptation and mitigation policies that aim to lessen the impact of
climate change could also result in human rights infringements, the
report says.

"[Programmes] could generate secondary impacts which could harm
people and impede human rights. A programme that might globally benefit
society might harm the wellbeing of minorities or groups of people
living in particular circumstances," says Archer.

For example, climate change mitigation projects will necessarily
result in a reallocation of resources as the world depends less on
carbon.

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)
scheme, proposed at the UN climate conference in Bali last year (see Plans to curb deforestation need more consideration),
seeks to reward forest nations for halting deforestation, but the needs
of indigenous people who live off the forests also need to be
considered.

By ensuring that human rights are considered from the outset,
policies will be improved, and "if harm will occur it's foreseen and
dealt with so that people's rights and needs are protected", says
Archer.

Similarly, to mitigate climate change developing countries will have
to start cutting carbon emissions by around 2025 — and some might not
have developed sufficiently to provide their people with public goods
such as clean water.

The carbon market could also hinder the development of poor
countries: "Every carbon credit sold to other countries ”¦ will
represent a foregone opportunity for carbon-based development at home",
the report states.